This was my last T20 game playing for India - Virat Kohli draws curtains on stellar T20I career after World Cup win
Cometh the hour, cometh the man and Virat Kohli saved the very best of him for the grandest of occasions. A T20 World Cup that saw him falling short of numbers despite sky-high intent, finally found out what the Indian run-machine is capable of, when on song.
Kohli scored 76 off 59 balls, hammering six fours and two sixes to help India garner 176 runs. He won the Player of the Match award for his incredible display in the grand finale while on his way out, he also mentioned that the world had seen the last of him in international cricket’s fastest lane.
Talking in the post-match presentation, Kohli said, “This was my last T20 World Cup, this is exactly what we wanted to achieve. One day you feel like you can't get a run and this happens, God is great. Just the occasion, now or never kind of situation. This was my last T20 game playing for India. We wanted to lift that cup. Yes I have (made the announcement), this was an open secret. Wasn't something that I was not going to announce even if we had lost. Time for the next generation to take the T20 game forward and do wonders as we have seen them do in the IPL. I have no doubts that they will keep the flag waving high and take this team further from here now.”
Shedding some light on the long-standing wait for India to lift the trophy, Virat said, “It's been a long wait for us just waiting to win an ICC tournament. It's not just me alone. You look at someone like Rohit, he's played 9 T20 World Cups and this is my sixth. He deserves it as much as anyone else in the squad. Just happy we were able to get the job done and really it's hard to explain the emotions I felt after the game.”
He further added, “I knew what kind of mindset I was in. I wasn't very confident in the last few games. I wasn't feeling really good out there. But when God has to bless you with something he shows in ways that you can't imagine and that's why I said I'm grateful and humbled right now and I bow my head.”
Kohli concluded by saying, “It's been difficult and hence the emotions of the game went as well and the way we came back and the kind of character the guys showed it's really difficult to hold things back. I think it's going to sink in a little later, the emotions are going to come to the surface a little later more but it's just an amazing day and I couldn't be more thankful.”